Some NATO member states also sought to sabotage the grain export deal, FM Mevlut Cavusoglu claims
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talks to the media at a news conference following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow. © Sputnik / Alexander Shcherbak
A number of Western nations do not want the Ukraine conflict to end and are also taking steps to derail the UN- and Turkey-brokered grain deal that was signed by Moscow and Kiev, Turkey’s foreign minister told local media on Tuesday.
Speaking to Turkish-language outlet Haber Global, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated that several Western countries “want the war to continue,” adding that it is not only the US, but also a handful of NATO members. Apart from this, he did not mention any specific states.
“There were also those who wanted to sabotage the grain deal,” he noted, adding that the US had nothing to do with these efforts and is in fact being helpful.
“The US contribution was as follows: the removal of export barriers for Russian fertilizers, unblocking ports, [lifting restrictions on] banking transactions, etc. But some countries from Europe wanted to sabotage it,” he said, signaling that Turkey continues to work to make sure the grain deal is upheld.
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The agreement to unblock grain exports via the Black Sea was signed by Moscow and Russia at UN-brokered talks in Istanbul in late July, and aims to maintain safe transit routes. The agreement is also supposed to allow Russia to deliver fertilizers and food products to global markets. Many experts and officials deem the agreement to be instrumental in alleviating global food security issues.
Wheat deliveries from Ukraine, a major producer, were disrupted after Russia launched its military operation in the neighboring state in late February. The sides blamed each other for causing the crisis.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US of attempting to prolong the Ukraine conflict by “pumping the Kiev regime with weapons, including heavy weapons.”
Putin stated that the Ukrainians have been assigned the role of “cannon fodder” in Washington’s “anti-Russia project.” The president also said that Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine to “ensure the security of Russia and its citizens, and defend the people of Donbass from genocide.”
US President Joe Biden said in June that NATO will support Ukraine “as long as it takes” to make sure Kiev is not defeated.
